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Pliny the Elder (23-79), a Roman

author and naturalist, writes about

Greek and Roman painting

methods and specifically mentions

the use of egg yolk as a binder for

wall and panel paintings.

Egyptians use temperas, including egg

tempera, to create portraits on panels that

are secured to mummified remains.

Unable to change a stroke of tempera once

applied, the artist of the portrait above

paints over an earlier attempt. (Worn paint

reveals a previous effort underneath.)

With the rise of Christianity, the

use of egg tempera on wood

panel becomes more widespread

as demand for altarpieces and

religious icons increases.

Pliny the Elder, as imagined by a 19th-century artist

Duccio, Madonna and Child, 1284, tempera and gold on wood

In 1400, Italian painter Cennino

Cennini (c. 1360-1427) publishes Il

Libro dell’Arte, which describes egg

tempera painting techniques like the

careful layering of warm and cool

tones to build desired colors. (See

this technique in the photographed

stages of Wessel’s Taurus.)

Egg tempera is the

primary method of

painting in Italy and

much of Europe.

The use of oil

paint has not yet

expanded beyond

Northern Europe.

Accompanying the spread of humanism (a system of

thought emphasizing human senses and experience),

artists throughout Europe look for ways to enhance the

naturalism of their work.

Artists find oil paint well-suited to realistic rendering of

texture, color, and the effects of natural light on objects

and figures. By the 16th century, oil has replaced tempera

as the dominant painting medium throughout Europe.

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Lorenzo Monaco, Adoration of the Magi, 1420-1422, tempera on panel

Caravaggio was a master of realistic observation and the use of dramatic lighting.

Caravaggio, Boy Peeling Fruit, 1592-1593, oil on canvas

In 1861, art historian James

Jackson Jarves brings 119

works by early Italian masters

to Yale University where they

become the nucleus of a

teaching collection. The

majority of the works are

tempera, spurring an American

revival of tempera painting.

In 1939, Daniels Thompson publishes The

Practice of Tempera Painting, the first

comprehensive step-by-step guide on the subject

in English. The tempera revival continues into

the mid-20th century, as artists working in

various styles and subjects share an interest in

the medium. Among these artists are American

icons Thomas Hart Benton, Andrew Wyeth,

Jacob Lawrence, and Robert Vickrey.

Artists Fred Wessel and Koo Schadler,

among others, expand interest in egg

tempera through their art, workshops,

and writings. Their compositions

clearly pay homage to historical

traditions while integrating current

subjects and styles. Such efforts

sustain the freshness and appeal of

this ancient medium, even into the

21st century.

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This work is on view in the next gallery.

Robert Vickrey, The Arch, c. 1962, egg tempera

This work is on view in the next gallery.

Koo Schadler, Turtles Dream Too, 2005, egg tempera and oil glazes on panel